Methodist bishop says no to same-sex marriages, for now

Northern California bishop to head worldwide church in 2014

The future leader of the Methodist church says ministers should not marry same-sex couples in their churches regardless of last month's Supreme Court rulings on California's Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act.

Brown currently serves as president-designate of the Council of Bishops and will become president in 2014.

"There will be times when, as the leader, I will need to personally represent the church in various capacities," Brown said.

When Brown takes the helm of the church he will inherit what he calls one of the most divisive issues his church has faced in decades.

“We have a dilemma and it’s not unique to our church,” Brown said.

Following the Supreme Court rulings, Brown wrote on the church's website, "Under our current rules, I must encourage pastors to reach out to their ecumenical partners, so that pastors and churches that are permitted under their polity to offer marriage to same-sex couples be invited to assist in providing pastoral care. "

Brown said that as bishop, he took a vow to follow the churches laws known as the "Book of Discipline," which forbids same-sex marriages.

"Personally, I would not do that," Brown said. "I would assist them in finding someone who would do that. And I would support them if I thought their relationship was healthy and sound."

But Brown acknowledged there is a difference of opinions among followers within his own region.

The pastor of St. Marks United Methodist Church in Sacramento County has said he would not turn same-sex couples away.

"I've made it clear that if somebody comes and asks me, I'm a pastor of the whole church and I will respond to anybody in the congregation, " said Pastor Alan Jones.

The church has stripped clergy of their positions for breaking church laws in the past.

Brown said it will not be for him to decide if pastors will face a trial within the church if they marry same-sex couples.

"The person's peers will decide what to do with that," Brown said, "I only administer that to make sure it's fair."

Church rules can be changed every four years during a meeting known as the General Conference.

"(The issue of same-sex marriage) will undoubtedly come up. I don't know that the majority will change in terms of what people are feeling," Brown said.

According to the Annual Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, the United Methodist Church ranked third in membership with more than seven million members in North America.

The church has 13 million members worldwide.

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